Hyderabad: The commissioner’s task force, south zone, and the Falaknuma and Mirchowk police busted a counterfeit currency racket and arrested a four-member gang including two persons from West Bengal. Counterfeit Indian currency worth Rs 6.97 lakh in Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations and other material were recovered from them.
The accused have been identified as Mohd. Ghouse alias Ghouse, 48, a fruit vendor and resident of Mohammednagar; Mohd. Arif, 32, a furniture worker and resident of Hafeeababanagar, Kanchanbagh; Imamul Haq alias Babloo, 30 and Talib, 42, both from Malda, West Bengal (absconding) and two minor boys.
Mohd. Ghouse was earlier arrested by Shahalibanda, Langar Houz, Bhavaninagar, Market, Kalapather, Gopalapuram and Chandrayangutta police for involvement in counterfeit cases.
Additional DCP N. Koti Reddy said that while he was in jail, he met criminals involved in counterfeit cases and collected the contact numbers of counterfeit suppliers Imamul Haq and Talib of Malda. After his release he contacted them.
Recently, Ghouse ordered the delivery of fake currency in 1:2 ratio with original currency. Imamul sent the counterfeit currency to Hyderabad through two minor boys from West Bengal. The duo reached the city and on Monday morning they called Ghouse and asked him to collect the counterfeit at two different places, one near Salarjung Museum and other at Shamsheergunj.
Ghouse sent Mohd. Arif by paying him Rs 10,000 to collect fake currency at Shamsheergunj. Later, he went near Salarjung museum to collect the currency.
“While Ghouse and Arif were receiving the fake currency from the boys our men arrested them. The counterfeit currency was seized from them. The counterfeit is of high quality and is suspected to have been printed in the Malda district of West Bengal as per Ghouse’s order,” Mr Koti Reddy said.
